The first five adjustments
A short, ordered routine that covers most of what a photograph needs, and stops editing becoming an aimless slider hunt.
Editing goes wrong when it becomes a hunt through sliders. A short routine, in a fixed order, covers most of what a photograph needs and finishes.
1. Crop and straighten
First, because everything after this depends on what is in the frame.
Straighten horizons — a tilted sea is distracting in a way a tilted building is not. Then remove anything at the edges that survived the shot, and reconsider where the subject sits.
2. White balance
Second, because colour affects how you judge everything else.
Set white balance so that things which were neutral look neutral. Most tools have an eyedropper: click something that should be grey or white.
Then, if you want to, deviate deliberately. Warming a sunset past neutral is a choice; being unable to tell that it is warm is not.
3. Exposure and contrast
Set overall brightness so the subject reads correctly — not the whole frame, the subject.
Then contrast. Watch the histogram as you go, and watch the ends: pushing detail into pure black or pure white is throwing it away.
4. Highlights and shadows
Where the finer tonal work happens. Pulling highlights down recovers detail in bright areas; lifting shadows opens up dark ones.
Both have limits. Highlights that are truly clippinged do not come back, and lifting shadows too far reveals noise.
5. Local adjustments
Last, and only if the photograph needs them. Brightening a face, darkening a bright corner, adding clarity to one area.
Local work is where editing gets slow, so it is worth being deliberate: fix a specific problem you can name, then stop.
Sharpening, briefly
Sharpening is not part of the routine because it depends on where the photograph is going. Sharpen last, for the size it will be viewed at, and less than you think.
Key takeaways
- Crop, white balance, exposure and contrast, highlights and shadows, then local work.
- The order matters because each step changes how you judge the next.
- Expose for the subject, not the whole frame.
- Take a break before deciding the edit is finished.
Common questions
Why does the order matter?
Because each adjustment changes what the next one is responding to. Setting white balance after contrast means judging contrast against a colour cast you were about to remove.
How long should editing one photo take?
For most photographs, under two minutes. If you are still going after ten, the problem is usually the photograph rather than the edit.
Next steps
What editing is for
Editing finishes a photograph rather than rescuing one. What it can reasonably do, and what it cannot do at all.
White balance and colour
Your eyes correct for the colour of light automatically. A camera does not, which is why photographs come out orange or blue.